


Adventures In Lust & Longing

by MicroKitty1313



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, Awkward Sexual Situations, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Free! AU, M/M, Masturbation, Sexual Experimentation, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, confused gay boys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-07-12 19:31:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7119493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MicroKitty1313/pseuds/MicroKitty1313
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Matsuoka Rin, Yamazaki Sousuke, Nanase Haruka and Tachibana Makoto have known each other for the majority of their lives. High School is coming to an end and they are all eagerly looking to their futures. But what happens when the boundaries of friendship start to cross into intimacy? Will they ignore their feelings or explore them further?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sousuke

**Author's Note:**

> I've been planning on writing this fic for a while and it will eventually end up being a remix of another fic that I will most definitely credit. Nagisa, Rei, Ai, Momo, and Kisumi will mainly be background characters until later on. 
> 
> I probably won't be updating this one too often until I wrap up my main fic. I'm not planning on this one to be too terribly long but.. I'm horrible at sticking to the plan.
> 
> Each chapter will basically focus on one character, obviously starting with Sousuke. 
> 
> I wanted to go ahead and post the first chapter while I was still thinking about it. I will update tags and such as I go. Also, I tagged all relationships between the four but I'm still not certain on which pairing I will go with. However, close calls will happen with all four of them so I guess it's accurate.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

“You should be studying more” Sousuke said, keeping his eyes on the book he was pretending to read.

“Shut up, I don’t need a lecture from you! My grades are far better than yours” Rin retaliated, disgruntled by Sousuke's ‘observation’.

This was normal for the pair. They’d been friends for so long, even with almost 5 years in between of not seeing each other. The second they’d reconnected everything picked back up like they’d never been apart.

Sousuke sat at his desk, fingers latched together behind his head and elbows splayed out in a way that an animal would use to make itself look bigger to intimidate a predator. But Sousuke is big enough on his own, he doesn’t need that ‘extra something’ to intimidate _anyone_. Well.. besides Rin.

They were 18 and would be graduating in only a week. Rin had the fortune of being asked to join the Australian swim team, a letter that came a few months ago. But being Rin, he’d chosen to follow Sousuke, Makoto and.. Haru… to Tokyo. He claimed it was his own conscious decision, because he could _never_ renounce his citizenship and swim for any other country besides Japan, but deep down Sousuke knew the decision was because of _his friends_.

This angered Sousuke. How could Rin throw away something he’d longed for since he was a child simply to stay with his “friends”? And though he didn’t mean to, his disgruntlement came out in short snaps and hurtful quips. Sometimes, even bordering on ‘parental scolding’. 

And Sousuke set out to make sure that Rin kept himself in shape and healthy and not over-worked. He wasn’t about to let his best friends dream entirely shatter, even though the dumbass was more worried about staying close to his childhood sweetheart..

Whoa…

Thoughts like that seem to bubble up within Sousuke a lot more in the past year. He chalked it up to simply being that jealous friend, the one that doesn’t want _his_ best friend to have any other close pals that could influence them in any way. And the vivid memory of cornering Nanase Haruka up against a vending machine and threatening him to ‘never get in Rin’s way again’ clouded his mind. And with the last year of their high school educations ending, he and Haruka had seemed to have come onto mutual ground. But Sousuke still had this sickness rise in his stomach every time he thought of Rin and Haru together. 

Sousuke was suppose to be the one standing beside Rin when the signal filtered through the air. The one racing him for the gold. The one he would bump fists with after their race was over no matter who had won. 

But.. It was Nanase that would get to be beside Rin. And Sousuke hated him for that.

Other than Nanase, Rin’s other friend that he held in high regards was Tachibana Makoto. This guy was almost as big as Sousuke, but he held this boyish charm about him. He seemed so innocent, with his sweet smiles and kind words. Apparently he is **very** competitive though, when it comes to games. And when he needed to, he could assert his dominance and get the results he knew was needed. Sousuke liked that about the slightly shorter green-eyed man.

Sousuke supposed the happenings from the water-gun fight were just Nanase and himself calling a truce.. over Rin. But Sousuke still couldn’t let his guard down. He wanted.. No.. _needed_ Rin to achieve his goals. 

“I guess you’re right. But you will start failing if all you can think about is your _boyfriend_ ” Sousuke jived. 

Rin launched the magazine he was looking through at Sousuke’s head, who promptly dodged it. “Friend, yeah. Rival? FUCK YES! But _’boyfriend’_? What the hell are you smoking?”

“I still remember you getting all flustered when I told you I could see why you were so taken with him” Sousuke smirked. In a way, he was simply teasing his best friend, but at the same time, he was bitter. The way a faint blush graced Rin’s cheeks and he nervously rubbed the back of his head when Sousuke had made the comment right before diving into the pool.. It irritated him.

“Because you would actually say something as ridiculous as that out loud! I was embarrassed for you” Rin scowled.

“Look, you’re getting all hot and bothered just talking about him right now! Go take a cold shower” Sousuke grins, throwing a washrag at the redhead.

“Fuck off! If we’re going then come on!” Rin grabs the clothes on his bunk that he’d already laid out to change into after his shower. 

“Fine” Sousuke huffed, grabbing himself a washrag and then two towels since Princess Rin wasn’t going to bother getting himself one. Maybe he thought Nanase would be there to blow him dry..

 _’That’s enough!’_ Sousuke mentally yelled at himself.

Sousuke shook his head, clutching his clothes in his fist and following behind Rin.

On their way to the showers they were intercepted by Nitori Aiichiro. The most subservient, submissive shit excuse for a kohai anyone could ever ask for. But, Sousuke decided to be nice to the silver-haired midget since Rin had opened himself up to the other, plus.. There was no way in hell Rin could ever feel…

Why was he thinking like this again?

What the fuck does he care who Rin falls in love with? Or has sexual fantasies about? Or jacks off to….

“Rin-senpai! I need your opinion on how to handle the new recruits!” Ai enthusiastically conferred with his former captain.

Sousuke didn’t want to stand here and listen to Ai drone on and on about how he could never come close to being the Captain that Rin was and how he would miss his ‘leadership’. And on-top of that, if Ai was around.. Then the little Mikoshiba was around. Sousuke closed his eyes in annoyance.

“I’m goin’ on ahead” Sousuke said in his deep, baritone voice. He held his clothes, washcloth and towels in one hand that was bent back against his good shoulder and keeping the stoic expression on his face, he opened one teal eye to look at Rin.

Rin simply nodded so Sousuke continued his journey alone. Maybe there wouldn’t be anyone else in the showers since it was so late and he could.. relieve himself.. of some built up tension.

As soon as he shut the door to the shower room Sousuke honed in on any noises coming from within the tiled room. He couldn’t hear anything besides the occasional _drip… drip_ of water so he casually strolled up to the large mirror in front of the sinks that reflected the shower stalls behind him. They were all open, even the one big stall that had three separate showerheads in it. That’s the one he and Rin usually take. It’s easier to talk when you’re standing side-by-side without a large barrier between you.

Sousuke contemplated taking one of the lone stalls right now. He hadn’t gotten off in a little over a week and he could tell it was starting to affect his attitude. But Rin is with Aiichiro right now so he’ll be another fifteen minutes at least. So, after removing his clothes, Sousuke wandered into the large stall that he and Rin always showered in and adjusted the water to the shower-head he would be bathing under. 

As soon as the water was warm enough to his liking he stepped under it, pressing his forearm to the tiled wall in front of him and immediately began picturing women he’d watched on muted webcam shows (He really didn’t want Rin teasing him about something he was certain the crimson eyed man did himself). It didn’t take long to become aroused and he started stroking himself vigorously, leaning his head back so his face was drenched in warm water while he expertly rotated his wrist, slowing his movements to fondle the sensitive skin of his glans before picking up speed, again.

He imagined one in particular. She had short hair, for a girl. It was red-ish but almost looked purple. But she was one of those freaky girls. She’d started with her fingers, working in and out of her ass but soon moved to a dildo, which Sousuke appreciated because it looked to be roughly the same size as his own dick. Watching her slowly push it all the way in before pulling back out, her head to the side and slightly tilted back with her mouth wide open in silent moans.

“Sou? You in here?” Rin’s voice echoed, bouncing off every wall of the room.

Sousuke quickly reached up and turned the hot water almost completely off, praying it would soften his erection. “Yeah”.

He knew Rin walked to the sinks first, setting down his clothes, toothbrush and toothpaste before heading to the showers. It wasn’t enough time. Sousuke was still hard even under the cold water trickling down his body. He grabbed his washcloth and placed it over his throbbing cock while pushing it against his abdomen, turning his back as Rin took his spot beside him. With any luck, it’ll just look like he’s washing his crotch.

“Sometimes I worry if Ai was the best choice for Captain, ya know? Hey, you alright? Isn’t your water a bit cold? I can feel it splashing off of you” Rin was eyeing Sousuke’s back as he began to wet his hair, facing away from the shower spray and running his fingers through his maroon locks.

“I’m good. My shoulder is just acting up. Thought maybe cold water would help it this time” Sousuke swallowed thickly.

“Well, it might work better if you had the right shoulder in the water?” Rin raised an eyebrow, wiping a few droplets from his face.

Sousuke removed his rag and squeezed some shampoo into his hand, rubbing his hair and telling himself to ‘just don’t think about it’. 

Suddenly, Sousuke feels himself being pulled around, eyes going wide. He’s now face-to-face with Rin, who is examining his shoulder. He’s still partially hard and desperately hopes his best friend doesn’t look down or step any closer than he already is.

“Doesn’t look like it’s irritated..” Rin states as he massages the muscles with his soft fingers.

Sousuke starts to panic. Not only is he still partially hard but he’s getting harder. WHAT THE FUCK?! Jesus Fucking Christ this needs to end **NOW**. 

“I-it’s fine now! It’s okay. I just need to lie down and rest for a bit” Sousuke stammered before quickly turning to rinse his hair and turning off his shower and walking out of the stall. He grabs his towel and wraps it around his waist albeit a little higher than he would usually place it. Hopefully it will hide his erection as long as his tip is held firmly in the top part of the towel. Apparently he was more sexually frustrated than he thought.

Occasionally, his mind would wander to Rin while he was getting himself off, but it freaked him out, so more often than not he would lose his hard-on. And yes, sometimes.. He would pleasure himself while listening to the soft gasps and moans coming from the bunk under him when Rin decided to jack off, thinking Sousuke was asleep. But he played that off like it was because he hadn’t had the chance to be with a woman since transferring to this school so any stimuli would work at those times.

This time was different. This time he was looking directly at Rin and still got hard.. Or.. Harder. Damn, he needed to get laid.

~~~~

The next morning his eyes slowly opened to the sound of Rin’s constant nagging. 

“It’s time for school”

“You’ll be late for our first class”

“Get your sorry ass up!”

Sousuke groaned and rolled away from the irritating sound of the redhead’s voice. To be honest, he was also a bit pissed off. He was blue-balled and it hurt. On top of that, he didn’t get to actually bathe himself last night. Maybe he would skip out on taking a shower with Rin tonight so he could handle business and then take one later. That sounded like a plan.

“Shut the hell up!” Sousuke swatted his hand in the direction of the incessant bickering. 

“We only have classes until noon today so you can come back and sleep all you want. So get the hell out of bed!” Rin ended his sentence by hitting Sousuke with what he presumed to be Rin’s pillow. 

Turquoise eyes slowly opened and turned to look at the smaller menace in the room. In the blink of an eye, Sousuke was down from his bunk and pinning Rin to his own bed. This was a game they often played, getting the jump on the other though Rin very rarely won since Sousuke was so much larger than he was. It wasn’t so much as a wrestling match as a ‘Who’s the alpha?’ fight.

Sousuke shifted his leg to come between Rin’s, dragging his knee up until he felt a soft bulge.

“You got brave, huh?” Sousuke smirked.

“Like I ever need to be scared of you?” Rin chuckled.

Sousuke pushed Rin’s hands down onto his bed, their palms mashing together and their fingers intertwining. Rin was so fucking cocky. Even though he was trapped right now he still grinned up at Sousuke like _he_ was winning. Sousuke wanted to wipe that smug look off Rin’s face. Maybe he should punch him? No.. he could never do that. Embarrass him somehow! Seeing him cry would only upset Sousuke. Shit… Maybe if he..

Sousuke leaned down, his face hovering only half an inch above the redhead. The tips of their lips were brushing against one another. They were breathing the others breath. Wait… what was Sousuke doing? He looked into Rin’s eyes, showing confusion, disbelief and.. _want_? Sousuke blinked, the first bell ringing. He barely managed to comprehend what was happening when Rin pushed him back, sitting himself up.

“You.. should get dressed.” is all the scarlet haired male said before slipping himself out from under Sousuke and grabbing his messenger bag, leaving the room.

_What just happened?_

~~~

It was lunch time and most of Sousuke’s morning classes were spent with him trying to figure out exactly what went down with him and Rin. He got his tray and sat down at their usual table, a little surprised when Rin actually sat down across from him. 

“Did you get bitched out?” Rin asked, sneering.

“No..” Sousuke grumbled. He had. His teacher had berated him for being late the tenth time so far. But he wasn’t about to let Rin know that.

“What are your plans after school? We have a couple of days off so I thought I might go visit Iwatobi” Rin placed the chopsticks holding rice into his mouth, watching Sousuke for a reaction.

Sousuke’s eyebrow twitched before he could reign it into control. “Actually, I might go visit Tachiba-.. Uh.. Makoto”. Sousuke looked up from his pork, pleased to see Rin’s brows furrowing in a way that only meant he was worrying about Sousuke.

“What for?” Rin continued, replacing his previous expression with that of indifference.

“Just have some things I want to talk about and Makoto seems like the best person for the job”. He wasn’t lying. But he also liked the way this seemed to be getting under Rin’s skin. He wasn’t sure why… but it was satisfying.

“What are _your_ reasons for visiting Iwatobi?” Sousuke already knew the answer, and he despised it.

“Thought I would go see Haru. Spend the night. I don’t get to see him that often” Rin frowned with the last of his sentence. 

“I don’t understand this. You are rivals but you act like butt-buddies” Sousuke attempts to say it jokingly, but the bitterness drips from every word. Hopefully, Rin won't catch on.

“We’re rivals” Rin motions back and forth to himself and Sousuke with his chopsticks, “But we’re still best friends”

“It’s different” Sousuke snaps. He’s still unsure exactly WHY this pisses him off so much,

Rin blinked at the taller, sinewy man. Sousuke could tell his reaction was a bit too much.

“I just.. He acts like he doesn’t give a shit, so why should you?” Sousuke says the first thing he can think of. What is going on with him? 

“He found his dream in Australia. You weren’t there. You didn’t see the stars in his eyes”

Oh yeah.. Australia. Sousuke had known Rin was going to visit Australia about a week before he left.. What he _didn’t_ know.. was that a certain blue-eyed little shit would be going, too. Not until the day they left, anyway.

“What makes him so special?” Sousuke grumbles before he can stop himself.

“Hah?” Rin raises an eyebrow. 

For fuck’s sake.. What has gotten into him lately? Why is he saying all of these stupid things? He needs to hurry up and come up with something before Rin get’s the wrong idea.

“I mean, so you take him to a far off country and because of his excitement he finds his dream? Doesn’t seem legit to me.” He just used the word ‘legit’. Sousuke. Used. The. Word. ‘Legit’. Oh god…

“Damn. The way you act about Haru is pretty much how he acts about Kisumi. You guys have A LOT in common” Rin smirks.

 _’Um, NO **we do not** ’_, Sousuke thinks.  
At least he would be right next door and could visit Rin every day on their break. And naturally, Makoto would want to see Haru every. Single. Day. So, it works out. Wait, what the hell is he talking about? Why does he need to check up on Rin?

“Oi! Sou! Time to get back to class. Come on, the next is the one we have together and then our break starts!” Rin smiles.


	2. Rin

Rin tapped the eraser of his pencil against the paper on his desk, an elbow propped on the slick top with his head resting against his knuckles. He’d taken a few notes but it was nearly impossible to concentrate, his mind constantly wandering to his moronic best friend. His moronic best friend that almost kissed him just to win that round of their play-fight. Well, maybe he wasn’t _actually_ going to kiss him, Rin should have called his bluff.

This just means that Rin is going to have to figure out a way to one-up the other. If Sousuke isn’t above using dirty tricks to win, then Rin would gladly play along.

As if Sousuke could _feel_ Rin’s eyes burning a hole in the back of his head, he glanced over his shoulder, Rin quickly moving his gaze to the teacher. Slowly, he allowed his crimson pools to slide back over to Sousuke, only for their eyes to lock with one another.

 _’Is he…?’_ , Rin thinks, _’HE IS! That son of a bitch is SMIRKING!’_

Rin fixes Sousuke with a menacing glare, curling his lips up into his cocky little grin that he knew pissed the other off.

“Matsuoka-kun, Yamazaki-kun.. Pay attention! You can give each other bedroom eyes later, but not during class!” 

Rin’s face immediately flushes and his dark blush races from one cheek, across his nose and to the other cheek. The rest of the class giggles and Rin folds his arms on his desk and buries his face into them. Sousuke seems unphased with the teachers mortifying comment but Rin knows he’s probably screaming internally or at least cussing the teacher for everything he’s worth.

Class in finally over and they make their way to their dorm room, Rin sighing and falling onto the bottom bunk while Sousuke closes the door.

“Have you already filled out an overnight pass?” Sousuke asks, stripping his uniform off and shuffling through the mass of clothes in the closet (Most of it being Rin’s).

Rin grunts an affirmative and wriggles out of his black and pink polo. “Have you?”

“Of course and I already turned it in” Sousuke says, successfully locating his comfortable hunter green t-shirt and a pair of khakis. He goes over to his dresser, pulling out a new pair of black boxer-briefs and shimmies out of the ones he’s wearing.

“You just gonna shower when you get to Makoto’s?” Rin runs his fingers through his hair. Seeing Sousuke naked is just a normal part of his every-day life at this point but when he realizes he’s zoned in on the others ass, watching his glutes flex and shift beneath the tanned skin, he finds something else to focus on.

Sousuke turns, facing Rin while still completely nude, “Yeah.. You don’t think he’d mind, do you?”

Rin absentmindedly moves his eyes back to the other, “No, have you forgotten how nice he is? Hell, he’d probably strip down and wash your back for you” he laughs.

“Rin, I really don’t want to hear about your sexual fantasies” Sousuke smirks, bending over to step into his underwear and slide them up (rather slowly).

Rin bellows a laugh, lying back onto his bed to unbutton and unzip his pants and raises his hips off of the mattress to pull them down over his ass, “Oi! According to the teacher, you and I have something going on” he lifts his head to grin at his best friend, wiggling his eyebrows.

Sousuke takes a seat beside Rin, putting his shirt and khakis beside him. “Yeah, because all I need is a _wife_ right now” he chides.

“Fuck you! You’re the one that tried to kiss me this morning” Rin chortles, kicking his pants off of his feet.

If Rin really wanted to be entirely honest with himself, it didn’t really bother him. He hadn’t pulled away in the moment or been disgusted in the least. He’s had dreams of soft teal eyes gazing at his completely nude body. Strong, tanned hands caressing his… Nevermind

Of course, it’s completely normal to have dreams like that about your best friend, especially when you’re in an all-boys school. It didn’t mean anything other than pent up sexual frustration. He’d even had a couple of dreams starring Haru and occasionally Makoto. 

And maybe sometimes he _did_ wake up in the middle of the night with an extremly hard cock.

Entirely normal. No underlying meaning **at all**.

“Bullshit, If I wanted to kiss you I would have done it. I don’t do anything half-assed, like you. And besides, you should consider yourself lucky to have _this_ talented mouth anywhere near your crusty ass lips. Speaking of which, I won -again- so that means you owe me a favor”.

Rin rolls his eyes, crossing his arms behind his head, “I wouldn’t call that a ‘win’. You cheated, but whatever”.

“The look on your face was priceless, though” Sousuke laughs, “Let’s see.. What would benefit _me_ but be a punishment for _you_?”

“Having to listen to you talk… about anything… at all”

“Suck it” Sousuke snarls.

“Is that the favor? Cause I’ve gotta say.. I’m not that easy” Rin grins over at the other.

“Heh, not a chance. Besides, if I want _that_ I’ll just get Tachibana to do it. He’s not as annoying as you” Sousuke lays back onto the bed, putting his arms beneath his head and bumping his elbow with Rin’s.

Rin snorts, “He probably _would_ do that if you asked, he wants to make everyone happy and all”.

“Speaking from experience?”

“I swear to god I’m going to punch you” Rin furrows his brows playfully.

The two fall quiet for a few minutes, enjoying the comfortable silence that two friends as close as them can share. Rin was overjoyed when Sousuke transferred to Samezuka, and they were as tight as they’d always been when they were younger, but with Sousuke finally coming clean about his shoulder and being a pessimistic dick about the likelihood of surgery working _at all_ , there was a slight tension that hung over their heads. 

“Sou?”

“Hm?” Sousuke hums, eyes closed and relishing in the peacefulness of the moment.

“Have you decided what you’re going to do once we graduate? I mean, other than surgery and physical therapy until you can race again..” Rin had high hopes and wasn’t about to let Sousuke just give up.

“Dunno, maybe I need you to take me away to a foreign country so I can find a dream. Or do we need to be fucking before you’ll do that?” Sousuke smirks, cracking one teal eye open to look over at his friend and successfully dodging the question.

“I TOLD YOU HE’S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!” Rin yelps.

“I didn’t say he _was_ , this time. Just implied that you two were gettin’ it in” Sousuke moves one arm from behind his head, making a sucking noise between his teeth to imitate cocking a gun while using his thumb and index finger to ‘shoot’ Rin. Of course, he did it all with the utmost sarcasm possible.

“You’re a douche” Rin snarls, “And we **are not** having sex!”

“Sssuuuurrrrreeee”

Rin promptly grabs his pillow and beats Sousuke in the face with it a couple of times, “Sounds like you’re _jealous_ , go ahead and bend over for daddy”

“Uh.. And what on earth makes you think you would top?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Rin arches an eyebrow,

Sousuke snorts, “Rin.. really?”

Rin purses his lips, “You would definitely be the bottom”

“No the hell I wouldn’t and I even doubt you would top Nanase”

“How the hell would _you_ know?!” Rin heels Sousuke’s shin.

“OW! Well.. how do you know you wouldn’t like it? Have you _tried_ gettin’ off… anally?” Sousuke has his eyes closed again but he can imagine the look on the others face.

Rin pushes himself up, leaning on his forearms and blinking rapidly at Sousuke, cheeks bright pink. “N-NO! Screw you, I need to get ready”.

The way Rin get’s off is **NONE** of Sousuke’s business. At all. In any way. 

“Aww, did I touch a nerve, RinRin?”

Rin gets off the bed, spinning on the balls of his feet and giving his best friend a pretty hard kick to his knee.

“SHIT! You try’nna make me have to have surgery there, too?!” Sousuke sits up to hold his wounded knee… maybe a little more dramatically than was called for.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rin and Sousuke take the train together, naturally. They walk towards their destinations, side by side, until they reach the point where Sousuke needs to turn right to get to Makoto’s and Rin needs to climb the steps to arrive at Haru’s. 

“Okay… Makoto lives _**RIGHT THERE**_ ” Rin says, pointing to said house, “Can you make it without getting lost or should I hold your hand and walk you there?”

“Nah, I don’t want to make you late for your makeout session with Nanase” Sousuke smiles, evilly.

Rin places an arm around Sousuke’s neck and pulls him down into a chokehold. The larger male pretends to struggle, laughing along with Rin. Both of their bags drop to the ground and Sousuke jabs one of his knuckles into Rin’s sternum.

“FUCK! That hurt, you dick!” Rin snickers, letting Sousuke go and rubbing at the spot on his chest.

While the redhead is distracted, Sousuke lunges forward, wrapping one arm around Rin’s waist to spin him to face the opposite way, grabbing one of Rin’s arms with his other hand and bending it behind the others back. “Give up, Rin!”

Rin wiggles around, pushing his back flush against Sousuke’s chest and raising his feet off of the ground only to slam all of his weight back down in an attempt to throw his best friend off balance. He frowned when his feet didn’t make contact with the ground again as Sousuke took the opportunity to keep him raised up by the arm around his waist. “Put me down, idiot!”

Sousuke chuckles, “Then say that I win. And stop moving so much”

“Piss off! You haven’t won! And why do I need to stop moving? Scared you won’t be able to hold me for much longer?” Rin smirks and begins to struggle against the larger male with more force. He then realizes that he’s been vigorously rubbing his ass against Sousuke’s crotch.

“Uh..” a soft voice catches their attention.

Sousuke releases Rin and they both turn to see Makoto rubbing the back of his neck.

The emerald eyed male coughs, awkwardly “I thought I heard something out here.. Heh..”

“Sorry, had to restrain Rin. He keeps trying to feel me up” Sousuke lightly elbows Rin in the back as he walks by him to pick his bag up.

“What the fuck ever!” Rin growls, snatching his bag up and taking a few steps up. He turns around, backing up the steps and flips his best friend off.

“Rin.. we’ve been over this and I already told you ‘No’” Sousuke laughs. That stupid fucking gorgeous smile plastered to his face.

Rin’s eyebrow twitched. Did he really just think of the word _gorgeous_ while looking at Sousuke?

~ ~ ~ ~

“How do you not smell like fish 24/7?” Rin asked, leaning against the counter while he watched Haru cooking.

Haru shrugs.

Rin smiled, fondly remembering the day he first met Nanase Haruka. It took some work but he eventually managed to get the other to warm up to him and persuaded him to swim in the most amazing relay ever.. Well, aside from the one he swam with his former teammates in their second year of high school, and the one with Sousuke, Ai and Momo. They’ve all really come such a long way. He still feels a twinge of guilt with how he treated everyone when they’d all reunited, but all of his friends have happily put his behavior in the past.

Rin almost goes cross eyed when he focuses on the piece of mackerel in front of him. Haru looked entirely bored, holding the fish between his chopsticks while he waited for Rin to taste it. A slight blush graces the redhead's cheeks as he leans forward to take the saba into his mouth. How the hell Haru managed to make mackerel taste so damn good is beyond Rin.

He swallows and forces himself not to smile, “S’good”.

“I know” Haru montones.

Rin rolls his eyes and clicks his tongue against his teeth. Arrogant bastard. How did Makoto spend so much time around Haru and not go completely insane? Really, the two of them were almost always together. They are practically _boyfriends_. Rin begins to wonder if Haru and Makoto have done.. things.. together. With how close the two are, it would only make sense. No, there is **no way** Haru had his first kiss before Rin and besides, Makoto isn’t exactly the type to be that bold and Haru.. Well Haru is Haru.

“So.. Sousuke’s been giving me shit about you, lately. He keeps saying we’re getting it on” Rin turns to lean against his forearms.

“What? What does that mean?” Haru narrows his azure eyes at his friend.

“Y’know.. Bangin’..” Rin decides his eyes need to remain locked to the small crack at the top of the wall.

“Banging?”

“For fuck’s sake.. He says we’re having sex, Haru!” Rin says way louder than he meant to.

Haru’s eyes widen and he turns back to his saba. The heat from the stove is what’s making his face a bright pink color, not what was just said.

“He almost sounds jealous” Rin chuckles. “Kinda makes me want to mess with him. I wonder how he would act if I made him think you and I really _are_ screwin’ around”

“You’re sleeping downstairs” Haru deadpans.

“What?! Why?!”

“Maybe he’s trying to distract you” Haru reaches behind Rin for a plate.

“From what?” Rin arches an eyebrow

“Kou talks to him a lot. She says they’re dating”

“WHAT??!! Since when?! What the fuck?! How could he do that to me? My little sister?! I’m going to fucking kill him!” Rin shrieked and had already made it out of the kitchen when he hears a quiet huff come from the other, almost sounding like a laugh.

“Are you fucking with me?” Rin stomps back towards Haru.

“You’re easy. That’s why he does it” the corners of Haru’s mouth twitch up ever so slightly.

“I hope you burn your fish” Rin mumbles, pursing his lips together and crossing his arms. 

Haru whips his head to the side to glare at his friend, “Get out”

“And _I’m_ the easy one?” Rin snickers.

~ ~ ~ ~

“Damn.. I might actually prefer eating your saba all the time compared to the stuff we get at Samezuka. I’m stuffed!” Rin says through his toothy grin, gathering up their dishes and walking to the kitchen to wash them.

“I’m going to take a bath” Haru states, making his way to his room to gather up a change of clothes.

“Oi! When I’m done here I want to go ahead and shower off. I’ll be up soon so make sure you’re already done” Rin raises his voice to make sure that the other heard him though he didn’t get a reply.

It didn’t take long for Rin to finish up in the kitchen so he ran upstairs to grab some clothes from his duffle and then back down, stripping his clothes in the laundry room then using his small towel to cover himself and sliding the bathroom door open with a loud **BAM**. “Alright, Haru. Time’s up!”

Haru eyes him from the bathtub then turns his face away and closes his eyes, “I’m not done. Shower and then get out”.

“Don’t you spend enough time in the water? Tch, whatever” Rin says, slamming the door shut and marching over to the short stool in front of the low mirror. He drapes his towel across his lap and wets his hair first and then his body before he begins shampooing his hair. “Kinda takes you back, doesn’t it?”

He waits a moment and when Haru doesn’t respond, he continues “You used to get so angry because I ‘Upset the water’ in the tub when I moved around. You were such a weird-o.. Actually, you still are so nevermind”

“That wasn’t that long ago” Haru offers

Rin rinses himself off completely, then turns to look at his friend “We aren’t little kids anymore, Haru. We’re about to graduate and most of us are going our separate ways. I feel like - OH MY GOD! You _still_ put that fucking dolphin toy in the tub with you?”

Haru flicks his eyes to his little dolphin and then back up to Rin, blinking slowly. “What’s your point? Makoto doesn’t mind.”

“The hell do you mean ‘Makoto doesn’t mind’?!”

Haru dips his head, training his eyes on the water, “When we take a bath together”.

Rin’s mouth slowly drops open, processing exactly what the other just said, “When… you… HAH?! You two still take baths together?”

“Not always. Just sometimes. He’s big”

Rin presses his hand across his forehead, rubbing his temples with his thumb and middle finger. “You say that like it’s no big deal”.

“It isn’t. We’ve all taken baths together”

“YEAH! LIKE SIX YEARS AGO!”

Haru shrugs his shoulders, lifting a hand up to flick the little dolphin back to the middle of the tub.

How can Haru be _SO CASUAL_ about this? It’s entirely embarrassing. Sure, Rin takes showers with Sousuke right beside him every day but sharing a bath together is something entirely different. How the hell can Haru AND Makoto fit, anyway? Why are they still doing this? Has this been going on the entire time or did one of them bring it up and it start again? It’s completely awkward! Haru _has_ to realize how crazy that is, right? Okay, if he thinks it’s no big deal then Rin will show him.

“Move to the outside corner so I can get in” Rin barks.

“Wha-” Haru slowly scoots himself, watching Rin step into the water and sit opposite of him. He had to bend his knees up closer to his chest to make room.

Rin bends one leg up, pressing it against the side of the tub and his other he props on the rim. “So what else do you and Makoto do together?” he grins.

“What do you mean?”

“Sleep in the same bed?” the redhead chortles.

“Sometimes”

“Seriously? Who am I kidding, I bet you two kiss all the time”

“Just once”

Rin almost slips down into the tub, “YOU’VE KISSED?!”

“Makoto was my first kiss and I was Makoto’s. I wanted to be his first” Haru monotones.

Rin’s cheeks are far more pink than they originally were from the hot water he’s sitting in. He was only joking and never expected that he’d actually been correct. Was Rin really the last of their group that has yet to even have a kiss? Haru and Makoto were each other’s firsts, and he knew Sousuke had.. Well, Sousuke had gone a lot farther than just kissing. Rei and Nagisa.. They’ve obviously at least smooched a few times and years ago, when he first went to Australia, Kisumi had mentioned getting kissed by someone close to him. Oh no.. No no.. Rin couldn’t let anyone know that _he_ was the loser of the group.

“Figures. Well, I’ve already kissed someone, too.” Rin grumbles, averting his eyes to watch water drip from the showerhead.

“Who?” Haru lazily lifts an eyebrow

“You don’t know them” Rin bites his bottom lip.

“Was it Kisumi?”

“NO! I just said you don’t know them!” Rin runs his fingers through his wet, maroon hair.

“I don’t know Kisumi”

“YES YOU DO, HARU!” Rin snaps.

“Do not”

“YES. THE. FUCK. YOU. DO”

“You haven’t kissed anyone” Haru closes his eyes and leans his head against the lip of the tup, a faint knowing smile curving his mouth.

“I HAVE!” Rin shrieks

Haru huffs out his version of a laugh.

“FINE!” Rin throws his arms up, slinging water in his friend's face and then folding them behind his head. He closes his eyes and frowns, “Maybe I haven’t but it’s only because I want my first kiss to _actually_ be special. Someone I’m close to and love and not - mmph!!!!” Rin’s crimson pools are now wide open and he jerks his head back but the pressure on his lips follows him. It only lasts a second, but it feels like an eternity. 

He watches Haru settle back onto his legs, still close and he can’t stop his own leg from sliding off the rim of the tub and splashing into the water as he sits up and leans towards the other. “WHAT THE HELL, HARU?!”

“I wanted to be Rin’s first, too” Haru deadpans

“That..” Rin touches his lips then furrows his brow and clenches his teeth, “THAT DOESN’T COUNT!”

“Why?”

“B-Because you can’t just kiss attack someone!” Rin snaps, “Surprise kisses doesn’t count.”

Haru sighs and then leans forward again, and repeats his previous action.

Rin blinks a few times then screws his eyes shut. What is Haru thinking?! This sort of thing.. Rin has to admit it is a bit romantic but this is not how he imagined his first kiss would be. It took a little longer for his friend to pull away this time. Rin absentmindedly sucks his bottom lip into his mouth briefly before speaking. “Quit trying to steal my first kiss, Nanase!”

“I’m not trying. I did.”

“DID NOT! That’s not what a kiss should feel like at all!” Rin glowers.

“Then what should it feel like?”

Rin hesitates for a moment, and he blames the heat from the water for not being able to think clearly. He moves forward, pushing Haru to lean back against his side of the tub and placing a hand on the edge beside the other’s head to steady himself. He licks his lips and then leans forward, softly, slowly pressing his lips to Haru’s and closing his eyes. He pulls back quickly, rubbing his mouth with the back of his hand and he swears that his cheeks are on fire at this point.

Haru blinks once, twice and then says “Makoto’s was better.”

“HAH?!” Rin inhales sharply and dives back in, pressing into Haru once more.

His eyes are shut so tight that it hurts and for a split second he wonders what he’s doing but then the mouth his lips are against slightly parts and in a muffled voice says “R-Rin”.

Rin retracts his lips from the others but stays close enough that he can feel Haru’s breath on his face. He takes a shuddering breath and waits for his friend to say.. _anything_.

Haru’s cobalt blue irises slide down and Rin mimics them, breath catching in his throat when he realizes what Haru was pointing out. Rin is between Haru’s legs and their.. lower halves.. have been pressing into each other and clearly all of the blood in their bodies have traveled straight to their throbbing..

“AH! I’M GOING TO BED!” Rin practically falls out of the bath, stumbling out of the bathroom and grabbing his towel to wrap around himself. He stands there panting, watching the water puddle beneath his feet and worrying a bit that his heart may actually beat right out of his chest. “Shit” he breathes.

He dries off as fast as he can and throws his clothes on before running up the stairs, two at a time and quickly laying the futon out in Haru’s bedroom and flopping down onto it once he removed his pillow from his bag. He pulls the covers up to his chin and tries to decide if smothering himself would be the best option right now. He hears footsteps headed in his direction and he frantically tugs the covers over his head.

“Night, Rin” Haru say, walking past the lump on the floor and turning the light off before getting into his bed.

“Shut up, Haru” Rin mumbles.


	3. Makoto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sousuke comes to spend the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while but it's just been one thing after another this month. Right now, I have no internet (going on three days) and I'm linking off my phone which is KILLING my data. Anyway, this is unbeta'd cause I tried to get it up ASAP since you've all been waiting so long!

Makoto hums to himself, chewing on a bite of rice from his bento and studying his best friends body language. Makoto had been mindlessly rambling about Rin staying the night with Haru later, once school was over, but when Makoto mentioned Sousuke would be staying at his house, his friend's shoulders squared every-so-slightly. 

Since their epic water-gun battle, the tension between Haru and Sousuke seemed to ease off, so Makoto was having difficulty trying to figure out what exactly had caused the barely noticeable shift in his best friends mood. Could it be jealousy? Makoto quietly chuckled. That would be ridiculous. There is no way Haru is _jealous_.

“What?” Haru asks, putting the lid back on his own bento and setting it between them. He purses his lips on the tip of the straw of his juice box and blinks at the other, tilting his head.

Makoto audibly swallows. He’s enraptured by those wide, shimmering blue eyes and that cute little perfect mouth and..

‘ _Calm down, Makoto. Having feelings like this for your best friend who’s been with you practically your entire life is not normal. Besides, there is no way Haru feels the same way about me. Sure, we kissed.. And we sometimes bathe together, and sleep in the same bed and Haru even let’s me cuddle him occasionally. It doesn’t mean anything. Don’t be a fool, you’ll mess everything up._ ’

Makoto clears his throat and breaks eye contact, “Eh, it’s nothing. So, what do you and Rin have planned to do while he’s over?”

Haru shrugs, extracting the straw from his lips and drinking down the sweet liquid in his mouth. Makoto doesn’t miss the way Haru’s tongue comes out to lick at a drop of juice that clung to his bottom lip. 

“You didn’t bring a drink?” Haru asks.

“Ah, I forgot it” Makoto smiles, scratching his cheek with his index finger. 

Haru huffs and holds his juice box out to the other, “We can share”.

Makoto’s cheeks crinkle when his mouth curls up even more and a light dusting of pink races across his face, “That’s very kind. Thank you, Haru-chan” he says, his fingertips brushing Haru’s as he takes the drink into his hand.

Haru frowns, his own cheeks heating up and he swiftly turns his head to look away. “Stop it with the -chan, already”.

“Mm” Makoto replies, nodding his head while sipping the drink.

“Where are Gou, Nagisa and Rei?” Haru keeps his gaze focused out ahead of them, relaxing his back to lean against the wall behind them.

“They had some things to do. They are really working hard for the swim club.”

Haru grunts in agreement and Makoto can tell he’s trying very hard not to pout.

It’s endearing to see exactly how much Haru cares about and misses being on the team. Well, that and not being able to use the pool as often as he’d like to probably plays a big part in his sulking, as well. None-the-less, being on the swim team and Rin coming back had helped to bring Haru out of his shell. Some might not be able to tell, but Makoto knows how big of a deal these small changes are. His friend speaks more, smiles more and even lets his version of a laugh out more. Makoto is thankful for every bit of it. He’d been so worried about Haruka and how he would manage after high school had ended.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

After school, Makoto and Haru walked home together as usual and then parted ways to prepare for their guests arrival. Makoto’s mother and siblings decided to go out for the evening. They’d invited Makoto, too and shopping before meeting up with his dad to grab dinner sounded great but he knew Sousuke would arrive shortly and he was really looking forward to spending time with the taller boy and getting to know him better. 

It was around the time he began to worry about what exactly he could cook for dinner for him and Sousuke, that odd noises from outside caught his attention. It sounded like kids squabbling so Makoto slipped his shoes on and walked outside, intending on breaking up some fight and helping the children come to an agreement on whatever had started the altercation. He was _not_ expecting to see Sousuke and Rin violently flirting, though.

Maybe flirting was the wrong word. He was jumping to conclusions. Just because Rin and Sousuke always looked at each other differently than everyone else didn’t mean anything. He looks at Haru differently, or so he’d been told by Nagisa. Wait.. that was a bad example because he _did_ harbor certain strong feelings for the other. Anyway, right now he was becoming increasingly worried that the other two might get too carried away and end up getting hurt so he coughed to announce his presence and hopefully break up Rin and Sousuke’s rough-housing.

Makoto stands awkwardly, watching Sousuke and Rin say their faux-hostile goodbye’s and waiting for the right moment to greet the other. Finally, Rin had turned and made his way up the rest of the steps towards Haru’s and Sousuke turned his teal eyes on Makoto. It was beginning to make him nervous being the sole object of that intimidating gaze but finally the scowl melted off Sousuke’s face and he smiled.

“Yo, Makoto”

Makoto relaxed, “Hello, Sousuke”. He turned and motioned for the other to follow him into his house. They kicked off their shoes in the genkan and Makoto showed Sousuke to his bedroom. “Uh, we have to fend for ourselves for dinner tonight and I’m going to go ahead and warn you: I’m a horrible cook”.

“Rin told me. It’s fine, I can cook” Sousuke says, placing his bag on the floor beside Makoto’s bed. “So, Mr.Perfect has his flaws, huh?”

“Oh, I’m _not_ perfect” Makoto replies, cringing slightly

“I was being sarcastic.” Sousuke sighs, rubbing the back of his head, “Well, show me where everything is and I’ll get started”.

“I’m really sorry about this. I’m the worst host ever”

“Shut up. You can’t be good at everything” Sousuke follows Makoto into the kitchen, surveying what he would be working with. “Anything in particular you want?”

“It would be rude of me to request something special considering you’re already being burdened with this so just make whatever you like, Sousuke” Makoto proceeds to show the other which cabinets hold the pots and pans, and motions to the porcelain container holding cooking utensils.

Sousuke growls in annoyance, “If I minded, I wouldn’t have offered. What the hell do you want, Tachibana?!”

Makoto blinks, startled and his lips part. He finally composed himself enough to speak, “Okay.. well.. Chicken stir fry sounds really good”.

“Alright” Sousuke grabs a pan, spinning it rapidly in a loose fist then gripping the handle before it falls to the floor. He sets the pan on the stove and puts Makoto to work, gathering up the rest of the things he would need. 

Makoto is impressed. Very impressed. In fact, the only time he’s taken his eyes off of the other is when he set up the rice cooker. At some point, Sousuke must have noticed because he mumbled something under his breath and then called Makoto over to show him how to prep the chicken and vegetables. Under Sousuke’s guidance, Makoto even poured the right amount of oil into the pan, set the flame of the stove just right and stirred everything around for a bit while Sousuke checked on the rice.

To be fair to himself, Makoto isn’t really _that_ bad in the kitchen. He can cook some things and he doesn’t often mix up sugar with salt or cut himself. But it does happen more regularly to him than it does to other people. And aside from simple recipes that only call for a couple of ingredients, he doesn’t have faith in himself to broaden his menu. Sousuke is surprisingly a great teacher though, and he’s very patient. 

Makoto and Sousuke settle down to eat their meal, Makoto turning the electric kettle on before hand. Makoto gasps once he’s swallowed his first bite, “This is delicious!”

Sousuke shrugs a shoulder in reply but the way he’s keeping his mouth full let’s Makoto know that he thinks the same thing.

“After we finish eating, do you want to watch a movie? Or.. I have videogames in my room but if we do that then the twins will want to play when they get back” Makoto taps his chopsticks against his lips, pondering how Sousuke will react to his younger siblings.

“Depends. Do you get as competitive over video games as you do water-gun battles?” Sousuke grins.

“Hmm. Let’s just say, I never lose to anyone that isn’t my brother and sister” Makoto’s half-lidded, green eyes glimmer, a sly smile playing on his lips.

Sousuke scoffs, his grin widening, “We’ll see about that”.

~~~

They were only able to play two rounds of Makoto’s favorite racing game, of which he was the victor of, before his family returned. As expected, the twins immediately stormed into his room but froze in their tracks when they caught sight of Sousuke.

“Onii-chan, isn’t that the big, scary guy from ‘Sprashu Fes’?” Ran asks, eyeing Sousuke

“Ran, that’s not nice” Makoto scolds his little sister. He can see why she would think that, though. Sousuke does look a bit..mean..at first.

“He’s not scary!” Ren chimes in, mockingly.

Sousuke stands, slowly, unfolding himself so that his tall form is revealed in the most menacing way possible. He’s looming over the twins, scowl on his face and danger in his eyes. Then, he smiles, raising an eyebrow, “I heard that you two are the only one’s that can beat your brother on this game” he tilts his head toward the tv.

“YEAH! He _never_ wins against us! He beats Haru-nii-chan all the time!” Ran giggles.

“Well maybe you two can teach me how to win” 

‘ _Wow! He won them over quickly. I wonder if he has any siblings of his own?_ ’ Makoto bites his bottom lip to keep from laughing. He can’t help but picture Sousuke frowning while two smaller versions of himself hang off his arm and the other clings tightly to his leg with the same ‘mad at the world’ look on their faces. 

This thought is quickly forgotten when Ren and Ran take their seats in between Makoto and Sousuke and start a new round on the game. It’s loud in his small room, all four of them heckling each other and declaring that whoever won had obviously cheated. First and second place is always taken by one of the twins while Makoto and Sousuke battle for third and fourth. After every loss, Sousuke _swears_ he is only losing because of the car he’s chosen, smirking when that gains a chorus of laughter from the two younger Tachibana’s.

They are on their final lap, the twins in the lead and Makoto just used a shortcut to get in front of Sousuke. Makoto doesn’t notice Sousuke’s arm snaking around behind his brother and sister until a tanned hand roughly presses his ‘Start’ button, effectively pausing his screen.

Sousuke snickers as his car races past Makoto’s and crosses the finish line in third place.

“H-HEY!” Makoto exclaims, a pout pushing out his lower lip.

“What? What happened?” Sousuke asks, feigning innocence but doing a horrible job at it.

A light knock on the doorframe captures their attention and Mrs.Tachibana steps into the room, “The bath is ready. Sousuke-kun, you can go first” she smiles, warmly.

“Yes ma’am. Thank you” Sousuke replies, turning to pull his bag to him and rummage in it until he finds a pair of boxers, sweat pants and tank top.

“I’ll have Makoto set out the futon for you. Ran, Ren..You both need to go find your sleeping clothes and get ready for your baths.”

Sousuke nods to the kind woman when he walks by, hearing multiple protests from the two younger siblings about how it isn’t fair they have to go to bed so early when “Onii-chan and Sousuke-nii-chan” get to stay up later.

Makoto chuckles, “We can play more tomorrow. Do what mom told you to do and I will read you a story after your baths”. 

~~~

Makoto sighs, stepping back into his room, rubbing a towel over his wet hair, “Sorry about all that. They usually don’t warm up to people this quickly. Carrying Ran to bed didn’t hurt your..uh..shoulder, did it?”

Sousuke gives Makoto an incredulous look, “I can handle carrying a small child, Makoto. Why does everyone think I’m incapable of the smallest tasks?”

Makoto raises his hands in front of him, “Right. Sorry.” He let’s his arms fall back to his side, “Ran seems to be smitten with you. Pretty sure you’ve replaced Haru”.

Sousuke snorts, “Well, at least I’m better than him at _something_ ”. He seems to have realized what he’s said because he presses his lips together in a firm line then rubs a hand over his face. “What kind of movies do you have?” he asks, adjusting his position on the futon, that’s been laid out on the floor, so that he can lean his back against Makoto’s bed.

Makoto wants to say something. He wants to reassure Sousuke that even with Haru deciding to join Rin in his dream of competitive swimming, and eventually the Olympics, he will always be very special to Rin. But that would be pretty presumptuous of him because maybe Sousuke simply resents Haru for still being able to swim. Maybe it has nothing to do with Rin at all. Sousuke is harder for Makoto to read. He has the same stoic, impassive demeanor as Haru but it’s almost as though when he can tell someone is seeing passed it, he pushes as many emotions forward as he can to hide the one thing he’s really feeling. It’s confusing. And a bit frustrating.

“All of my movies are right here” Makoto says, sitting on his knees in front of his small tv stand, pointing to the three shelves on the bottom.

Sousuke moves forward, crouching beside Makoto, “Which one would you recommend?”

Makoto places a finger on one of the dvd cases, sliding it out slightly “This one”

“Nevermind. I forgot you and Rin have pretty much the same taste in movies and I am _not_ sitting through some sappy romantic comedy tonight”

Makoto pushes the movie back onto the shelf, “Then how about just a comedy?”

Sousuke rolls back to sit, crossing his legs “I was thinking horror or maybe a thriller”.

A small whimper escapes the back of Makoto’s throat, “Uh..” his voice is shaky, “I have...a few”. He reaches to the side to open a drawer, pulling out seven cases and setting them in Sousuke’s lap without ever looking at them.

With a low, rumbled laugh, Sousuke nudges Makoto’s arm “You really are a wimp. Rin said you are afraid of everything”.

Makoto snaps his head to the side to look at the other, brows furrowed, “I am not scared of _everything_!”

“MAKOTO! WHAT IS THAT BEHIND YOU?!”

Makoto lurches forward, gripping Sousuke’s bicep while spinning to look where Sousuke’s eyes were trained on the wall behind him. It takes him a few moments of heavy breathing and heart hammering in his chest to register the deep bellow of laughter erupting from his house guest. “That was mean”.

Sousuke is gasping, trying to respond but his words keep getting cut off by more laughter.

Makoto’s cheeks are _burning_ they’re so hot. He huffs and picks one of the movies from the few he keeps tucked away, out of sight, and puts it in the player.

The movie starts off with Makoto on his bed and Sousuke sitting in his previous position on the futon. Barely halfway in, Makoto has joined the other on the futon and is steadily inching closer with every scene change. Sousuke either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care, either way Makoto is now close enough that their shoulders are squished together and his eyes are shut tightly. That’s the last thing he remembers.

\- - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

 

Makoto scrunches his nose as something brushes against it, tickling him. His neck is sweaty and it hurts a bit. A warm gush of air spreads across his face and he finally manages to crack one bleary, emerald eye open. He isn’t entirely sure what he’s seeing but it looks soft and smooth. His right arm is asleep and he can imagine he’s probably been sleeping on it all night. Both of his eyes slide half open and he realizes he’s holding onto something with his other hand. 

Everything suddenly clicks. He is now very much awake and becoming all too familiar with the fact that he is face-to-face with Sousuke. They are so close that their noses are touching. He has one leg thrown over his friend and one arm wrapped around the taller boy's waist. His neck is hot because he is laying on Sousuke’s left arm and 

‘ _Oh.. Oh no.._ ’

Sousuke’s right hand is cupping his bottom. Said hand twitches, squeezing one of Makoto’s round cheeks and Makoto’s entire body jolts. This causes dark turquoise pools to blink awake and then the two friends are lying there, awkwardly studying the others face, the situation. They push off of each other at the same time, Makoto hitting his back on his bed frame as he sits up and Sousuke pushes himself back a bit more with his feet, leaning back on his forearms and staring at Makoto with such confusion Makoto actually feels guilty, even though he knows he didn’t put either of them in this position. Or.. he doesn’t think he did.

“What the fuck?!” Sousuke croaks.

“W-we ah.. We must have fallen asleep during the movie” Makoto says, as calmly as he can. He looks around his room and notes the sunlight peeking in from behind the curtain on his window.

Sousuke’s eyebrows slant down but he doesn’t reply. Instead, he sits up a bit more and flexes his elbow a few times to get the blood circulating again. 

“Let’s” Makoto pauses, clearing his throat when his voice cracks, “Let’s get some breakfast” he smiles, hoping to smooth over this… whatever this is.

They eat in silence, both trying to get their thoughts together while desperately avoiding any eye-contact. The twins aren’t awake yet and Makoto’s father has already left for work. Mrs. Tachibana asks Sousuke, for the second time, if he’s sure he doesn’t want any more to eat and finally she takes his word that he’s ‘Fine’ and takes his dishes from the table. 

Makoto helps his mother clean up then joins Sousuke in his bedroom. “Do you want to get dressed and go over to Haru’s?”

“Why? Are you worried? Want to check up on him and Rin?” Sousuke smirks.

“I don’t know what you mean. There’s no reason to be worried”

Sousuke snorts, “Right. I guess I just imagine the hearts fluttering around your head any time you’re close to the fish-boy”

‘ _Excuse me?!_ ’

Yes, it’s true, Makoto has a huge soft spot for Haru but he knows he hasn’t been that obvious. Has he? No.. Not at all. Nothing at all like how Sousuke completely melts when he looks at Rin. How he feels about Haru is none of Sousuke’s business. The things he and Haru do together is also personal, even if Makoto does feel wrong after he get’s out of the bath with Haru. Or wakes up with the other in his arms. It’s not like he actually makes a move. He’d never do that. That would mean risking the entire relationship completely with his oldest and dearest friend. And besides, it’s nothing at all like..

“I think you’re confused. _I’m_ not the one that’s held Haru in place and told everyone else to tickle him. And I didn’t take him to Australia and “accidently” book a room with only one bed and then pretend to be mad about it but still.. ended.. up..” Makoto trails off, eyebrows knitting together.

Makoto and Sousuke stare at each other for what feels like forever and it’s like they’ve just solved the world’s most difficult puzzle.

“Yeah, let’s go” Sousuke says, breaking the silence and moving a bit faster than usual to his bag to get a change of clothes.

~~~

“I always go in through the back” Makoto replies to Sousuke’s questioning glance while they make their way around the side of the house.

“I’m sure you do” Sousuke chortles.

They enter the Nanase residence, and Makoto is about to announce their presence when they hear voices coming from the living room.

“HARU! You have to be more gentle! You can’t just yank it out all fast” says Rin.

Makoto’s eyes widen and he reaches out to stabilize himself on the hallway wall.

“This is stupid. I don’t want to do it slow” Haru monotones.

Makoto feels nauseous. He swallows the lump in his throat and whispers over his shoulder, “Maybe we should come back later”.

“Aren’t you suppose to be good with your hands?! Just wrap your fingers around it and ease it out!” Rin growls.

“I’m done” Haru huffs.

“YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE IT HALFWAY OUT! PULL IT THE REST OF THE WAY!” Rin yells.

Makoto grunts when Sousuke pushes past him, storming down the hallway and following the others voices. It comes to him, too late, that he probably should have stopped the taller boy because Makoto can’t imagine what is about to come of this. He’s too shocked for his heart to be broken so he pushes himself from the wall and stumbles after Sousuke, intending on hopefully stopping any bloodshed.

“Wait! Sousuke!” Makoto calls, reaching out to grab at the others shirt.

“Rin” Sousuke snarls, rounding the corner into the living room.

Haru and Rin blink up, startled, from their spot at the coffee table. Haru flicks his eyes from Sousuke to Makoto and back, dropping the jenga block onto the wooden top with a hard clack.

Makoto can’t stop the relieved groan that plummets from his parted lips, clutching at his chest and sinking back against the wall, sliding down to sit on his haunches and hanging his head between his shoulders. 

“What the hell?” Rin raises a brow

“We thought..” Sousuke rubs the back of his neck, looking back at Makoto for help.

Makoto exhales, slow and steady, and then raises back up to stand and walk into the living room. “We were just coming over to see what you two were doing” He smiles, closing his eyes and tilting his head. “What game is this?”

Haru narrows his eyes at Sousuke but seems to be talking to Makoto, “Sleep well?”

Makoto makes a pathetic, strangled sound. He’d completely forgotten about waking up, cuddled to Sousuke. Did Haru know? No, that isn’t possible. Sousuke isn’t giving anything away, his expression remaining as unreadable as ever. “Yes. And you?” Makoto takes a seat on the floor, gesturing to Haru and Rin.

Makoto and Sousuke exchange a glance when Rin chokes on absolutely nothing and his face flushes. “Fine. I slept fine” he ends his statement with a cough and glares at the jenga tower in front of him.

Haru gives a firm nod, “We went to bed early”.

“Ah. I think we were all pretty tired yester-” Makoto is cut off by Haru apparently finishing his thought.

“Kissing is tiring”.


	4. Haruka

Haru’s blue eyes flick to Rin when an undignified yelp leaves the redhead. The coffee table shakes with a loud thud and the jenga tower falls, scattering blocks everywhere. Rin rolls back onto the floor, holding his knee to his chest and yelling, what Haru’s picked up on, a slew of english cuss words.

Haru then looks back to Sousuke. No one else probably caught it but Haru noticed the slight twitch of his eye at Haru’s last comment. It’s not Haru’s problem. Sousuke _lives_ with Rin so if Sousuke was too slow to claim Rin’s first kiss as his own, oh well. But, Haru _is_ concerned with the glaring fact that he is currently avoiding looking at Makoto.

Why is he worried about what expression he might find on his best friends face? It will probably be the same glowing smile that’s always there. The same gentle, green eyes. Maybe even a light blush on his crinkled cheeks. So WHY can Haru not force himself to look? 

Everything is changing and it’s happening far too fast. Yes, technically, Haru will still be with Makoto after graduation. They will both be moving to Tokyo, at least. But that’s where the similarities end. Makoto will be going to a different University, for a different career, a different path. Haru will be going elsewhere and focusing mainly on his training, getting ready for different challenges and competitions. That will eventually take him elsewhere, make him travel. Leave Makoto.

Rin.. Rin will be doing basically the same thing Haru is, except he’ll be far away. Both of them will be working toward the ultimate goal of reaching each other again, whether it be on separate teams or the same. 

He’s slowly losing everyone. 

Nagisa, Rei and Gou will remain in Iwatobi for the next year, their lives practically unchanged. He’d made such a small ripple in their lives, he doubts they’ll even notice he’s gone. 

And he’s scared. Scared of his life no longer being basically predictable. Scared that the people closest to him will make their own lives, their own friends, and leave him behind - just a memory of a boy they used to know. 

He’s scared of being alone.

It dawns on him that what he’s done to Sousuke is completely unfair. Sousuke is in the same situation, except Sousuke doesn’t have the option to swim anymore. That was cruelly ripped away from him. He can’t train, he can’t win competitions and he will never meet Rin at the Olympics, as rivals or otherwise. 

Well.. What’s done is done and you can’t change _that_. He feels a bit bad that he just took something away from Sousuke but at the same time, he’s cemented a tie to Rin. Rin is a romantic and it’s highly doubtful that he will forget his first kiss anytime in the next century. Okay, that’s unrealistic. Obviously Rin probably won’t live that long. But, hopefully he will think back on that moment fondly, before he dies.

This is why he’s always so hesitant to give anyone free-roam of his emotions. Even the ever-giving Makoto would likely pick him apart, take what he wanted for himself, and when the time came.. Walk away and never look back. Because that’s what happens when people want different lives for themselves.

He isn’t an idiot. He knows exactly how he feels about Makoto and it’s blatantly obvious how Makoto feels about him, for now. But, that’s the problem. With their futures so uncertain, the probability of them drifting apart is becoming more of a reality than anything. The only thing he knows for certain is that he _will_ see Rin again. How far away that encounter will be isn’t clear, but it will happen. 

Haru moves his eyes back to Rin, who is being checked on by Makoto. 

“Rin! Are you alright?!” Makoto asks, rubbing the redhead’s shoulder.

“Tch” Sousuke works his jaw for a moment, then “Toilet is down the hall, right?”

“That one doesn’t work right now”. Haru stands, walking to the stairs and glances behind him to make sure Sousuke is following. He leads him upstairs and to the restroom then spins on his heels to face the boy that probably wants to strangle him.

‘ _You should say you’re sorry. Tell him that it didn’t mean **exactly** what it sounds like. Let him know that you realize how strongly he feels for Rin and that you didn’t mean to hurt his feelings_ ’

“Rin is terrible at kissing” Haru deadpans.

‘ _Or that.._ ’

Sousuke glares at Haru before stepping into the small room and slamming the door shut, a muffled “None of my business” rumbling through.

Haru shrugs to himself and wanders back downstairs, to the kitchen to prepare some tea. It’s still early, not even lunch yet, and he vaguely wonders if they can all go swimming today, while he waits for the water to heat up.

ISCR isn’t too far away. They could drink their tea, then head out. They would get there by maybe eleven thirty and make a couple of laps and be back by one for a late lunch. Rin probably brought his legskins. Sousuke, though.. Just because he can’t use his usual techniques doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy the water.

Haru places four cups onto a tray, along with a porcelain pot that he’d poured the scalding water into to brew the tea, then carries it back to the living room. Sousuke has already returned from his adventure to the toilet room, which Haru is almost positive wasn’t because he actually had to use it, and Haru sets the tray down on the coffee table. He can feel Rin’s eyes on him, no doubt fuming about what he’d said a few minutes earlier. Also, not his problem.

He hadn’t forced Rin to kiss him back. Nor had he made Rin join him in the bath in the first place. Everyone is responsible for their own actions. His conscience is clear.. Well, mostly.

“I want to swim” he says, sitting down at the small table and pouring his own cup. He finally turns his attention to his best friend, locking his eyes with Makoto’s. It’s there, hidden in the depths of those sparkling emeralds - The reason Haru didn’t want to look at him in the first place. Sadness, disappointment, dying hope. Well, it’s better this way. Go ahead and push the chance of a relationship away now before it can become too painful in the future.

Haru watches Makoto move his eyes away, to look up at the same spot Rin seems to be looking as well. Haru takes a sip of his tea, a bit annoyed that the other two are practically asking Sousuke for permission before they respond to Haru. He knows they are only being considerate, given Sousuke’s injury, but expecting Haru to refrain from the one constant in his life that he can count on to clear his mind and wash his worries away is unrealistic.

Haru needs the water.

“I didn't bring anything to swim in” Sousuke grumbles.

“Borrow something from Makoto” Haru replies quickly, lips touching the rim of his cup.

Rin shifts, biting his bottom lip, “If you don’t want to, it’s fine, Sou”

Haru sets his cup down, becoming increasingly irritated with how slowly this conversation is progressing. It’s simple: Yes or No. Even if Sousuke says he doesn’t want to, Haru is going - With or without his friends.

“It’s not a problem if you need me to lend you a pair” Makoto says, trying to sway Sousuke’s decision in Haru’s favor.

“Sure. Fuck it” is all Haru hears Sousuke say before Haru is up and walking to his room to grab his gym bag and stuffing a clean towel into it. The way they all base decisions on each others feelings is ridiculous. Rin would say ‘No’ if Sousuke did and Sousuke only agreed because he knew Rin wanted to. Makoto wanted it all to flow in the direction Haru wanted but at the same time, he wanted to be considerate of Rin and Sousuke.

If you want to do something, you should do it. Letting anyone else choose for you is stupid. Maybe Haru was something of a hypocrite. He’s decided against doing something before just to appease Makoto or Rin. Well, in Rin’s case Haru was usually doing something he _didn’t_ want to do. Same thing.

He almost wanted to smile when he returned to the living room to find everyone ready. Makoto was quick about slipping into his house to retrieve legskins for himself and Sousuke and sneaking back out. If the twins were to catch him, they’d ask what he was doing and Makoto being Makoto would have told them and then they would have two other tag-alongs. Haru didn’t mind Ran and Ren swimming with them, but the mood of the group was a touch uneasy today - through no fault of Haru, of course.

It’s silly, everyone getting so worked up over something as useless as a small, closed-mouth kiss. Whether it’s your first or your thousandth, a kiss was only as special as the person you were sharing it with. True, Haru felt certain..things.. for Rin. So naturally the kiss did mean _something_ , but the tingling sensation that shot through his body when he’d kissed Makoto was entirely different. It was warm, nice, and intoxicating and that meant that it could never happen again. 

He refuses to think about the aftermath of his and Rin’s kissing and what it could have led to, especially the repercussions that would have surely followed had they went any farther. Sex is something he KNOWS, without a doubt, he isn’t ready for. _That_ is being far to open with yourself, offering your heart on a silver platter and then being surprised, like an idiot, when the person you’ve trusted to share this part of you suddenly grows tired of you. They get bored, begin aching, yearning, for something new, exciting, different. Something that isn’t you. So you become disposable and they move on to find what will satisfy them next.

No, Haru isn’t falling for that. He doesn’t think Makoto would intend to hurt him, ever, but Makoto has began to carve out his place in life, striking out fearlessly, not even seeming to consider that when he moves to Tokyo, he might not know anyone there. That isn’t an issue _now_ since Haru is going to be there but… the fact that before Haru had decided to follow this path, Makoto was more than willing to just… leave. On his own.

Haru doesn’t think Rin would have intentionally hurt him either. Of course Rin is subconsciously selfish but he generally hurts when he realizes that his friends have been wounded by his actions. Rin would be a loving partner, for someone else. 

Even Sousuke is actually caring and considerate. Haru has come to the conclusion that this stoic, dismissive front Sousuke puts on, and has done so since they were children, is a defence mechanism. He supposed they might have a lot in common.

The walk to ISCR, into the building, through the locker rooms and even into the pool, were wiped from his memory. He wasn’t even sure he’d actually gotten here on his own two feet. He’s halfway down the lane by the time he even realizes he’s in the water. It’s soothing, the chilly embrace washing over his skin, falling from his shoulders has his body tilts to the other side when his fingers cut into the water, gliding effortlessly through his past, present and future.

He sucks in a breath, dipping his head down first, his world spinning for a moment as he goes upside down, only for his feet to plant firmly against the wall of the pool before he pushes off. When he surfaces, he catches a glimpse of Rin and Sousuke sitting on the edge of the pool, shoulder to shoulder. They are smiling but even at this distance, Haru can see they’re forced, fake smiles. Rin looks worried and Sousuke just… sad.

Not his problem.

He turns his head into the water, rotating his arms one at a time, tilts his head to the side again, breathes, then back into the water. 

He isn’t sure how long they’ve been here, how many laps he’s made. At one point he’d raced Rin but even after it was over, he didn’t stop. He couldn’t. Some people run from their problems, Haru swims from them. When he reaches the wall this time and stands to pull himself from the pool so he can get into position again, he’s greeted by that large, tanned, familiar hand. Something that has also been a constant in his life. Except now, soon from now anyway, it would be more of an occasional occurrence, then after that, a memory.

Haru let’s Makoto pull him from the pool, his warm, smile curving his lips, almost hiding his concern. _Almost_.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Much to his chagrin, Haru finds himself pulling four futons from the storage cabinet in the tatami room for his guests that took it upon themselves to invite themselves to stay the night. Makoto had scolded him when he’d mentioned he was going to sleep in his own bedroom, saying it was only proper for Haru to sleep in the same room with them since his bedroom was too small to accommodate all of them.

‘ _Stupid Makoto_ ’

Well, the rest of the day hadn’t been _that_ bad after they’d returned to Haru’s home. The atmosphere was less tense, Rin kept conversations going, sometimes more than one at a time, and due to momentary demonic possession, or maybe a mini-stroke, Haru agreed to make curry for dinner. He ended up not cooking lunch, Sousuke offering to take them out to eat. Whatever he and Rin had discussed at the pool seemed to put him in better spirits.

They ate, Sousuke and Makoto cleaning up after while Rin pestered Haru about his supposed ‘win’ from their race earlier, but it was nice. As troublesome as Nagisa could be, Haru did miss his and Rei’s presence, but they had an exam coming up and Rei thought it would be best for him to tutor Nagisa at his house, where he would have more luck reigning in the blonde’s attention.

Once everyone was settled in and Rin had finally quit chattering about how excited he was about the future, and Haru was relatively certain his guests were asleep, he quietly slid the door open and made his way down the hall and to his porch. 

The night air was crisp and a bit too much on the cool side for Haru’s tastes, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. He sat on the edge, his legs hanging over and toes touching the dew-wet grass below him. The moon was full, a white glow surrounding it and fading off, blending in with the midnight blue of the sky. It was bright and made it difficult to see any of the stars that were close to it but when he turned his head, he could see thousands of twinkling diamonds, no clouds in sight. His favorite stars were the ones that shown steadily, steadfast in their light. The stars that continuously flicker, red to blue, were beautiful as well but they changed too often.

“Oi” even though it was hushed, just above a whisper, the sound startled him, making him tense for a moment.

Rin sits down next to him, knocking his ankle against the side of Haru’s foot. He presses his palms to the wood just behind him and leans back onto his arms, smiling up to the heavens.

“Who can sleep on a night like this.” It wasn’t a question, more of an observation of their current situation.

“Mm” Haru supplies.

Rin begins to hum to himself, some soft tune that easily drifts into the silence of the night. Haru doesn’t mind, it’s a pleasant addition to the quiet as opposed to Rin’s usual way of filling any moment that is absent of sound. It’s a distraction, something that’s helping Haru not think about how vulnerable he feels. He doesn’t pull away from the warm hand that joins his, fingers sliding into the spaces between his own. It’s a symbol, within the small, empty space between them, that Rin is here. Rin might not realize it, but sometimes he can be just as perceptive of Haru’s feelings as Makoto.

“What’s going on in that waterlogged brain of yours?” Rin asks, not bothering to look at Haru.

“Your insults are horrible”

“Quit deflecting” 

Haru sighs. At this point, if he were to just brush aside Rin’s attempt at reaching out, it would only make him press harder. “Nothing will be the same”.

“Is this about the kissing again? ‘Cause, Haru, I gotta tell you that it freaked me out more than anything and made me realize my feelings for you are strictly platonic. I love you and everything, but no”.

Okay, maybe Rin isn’t even close to Makoto’s level.

“You thought you had more than that?”

Rin sucks in a sharp breath, using his free hand to brush his hair back, “No!”

Haru’s lips quirk up into the smallest hint of a smile. “I meant _this_. All of us being together. You aren’t the best at keeping in touch, you know”.

Rin scoffs, leaning over to bump his shoulder against Haru’s, “I was a dick. I’m not going to do it again”.

“We’ll see” Haru pushes his shoulder back into Rin’s and then they go silent.

Rin keeps him company far past midnight, but after Haru’s fifth yawn he moves his hand from Rin’s, the other letting his fingers ghost over Haru’s pale skin, letting his touch linger. “Don’t stay out here much longer, you’ll get sick”.

The sudden lack of physical contact makes Haru’s stomach churn and palms feel sweaty but he doesn’t get to focus on it too much because he runs into a solid form as he rounds the corner into the hallway.

Makoto reaches out, grabbing Haru’s arm to keep him steady, “Oh. I was wondering where you went. Something wrong?”

“No. Just talking to Rin” Haru tips his head in the direction of the porch.

“Ah. I was just coming to get some water. I’ll be back in a little bit” Makoto smiles, slipping past Haru and to the kitchen.

Haru smirks the rest of the way to the tatami room. Makoto lied. Makoto didn’t stay back for water. Haru was wrong about Makoto’s feelings and it was likely his best friend wasn’t even aware of it himself.

By three in the morning there had yet to be any signs of Rin or Makoto. Maybe things had been changing all along... Yeah, it's better this way.


End file.
